High Surf Advisory Issued For Pacifica

The winds were gusting Thursday in Pacifica, where there is a high surf advisory through 9 p.m. Vianey Arana reports.

(Published Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017)

After a couple of days of sunshine and rainbows, rain began to pelt the Bay Area again in a series of four expected storms that could stretch over eight days.

If the weather acts as predicted, the Bay Area rain totals through Wednesday could reach up to three and a half inches at lower elevations and up to five inches at higher elevations, the National Weather Service reports.

As of Thursday morning, strong winds were gusting through the East Bay hills, the NWS data showed, with spots such as the Calaveras Road in the Sunol Valley for example, clocking wind speeds at 58 miles per hour. Traffic accidents were also being reported. A big-rig jackknifed on its side along Interstate Highway 880 in Oakland at 5th Avenue as rain came down, though the California Highway Patrol didn't immediately say if weather was a factor.

The North Bay, as usual, was getting hit the hardest. Early Thursday morning, areas in Marin and Napa counties had already seen between a half inch and a full inch of rain. A flood warning and flash flood watch were issued for Solano county.

And further south in the Santa Cruz mountains, those who live there, or drive through the area, were concerned about the possibility of more mudslides. The area will see significant rain on Thursday, making cleanup work along Highway 17 more difficult and possibly causing new road problems. Already at least three mudslides in the last couple of weeks have closed portions of the heavily used road connecting Santa Cruz to Silicon Valley.